Written Answers Wednesday 23 April 2008

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to detect and prevent people under 18 years of age from drinking alcohol in public places.

Kenny MacAskill: The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 overhauls the current under-age drinking offences and increases the associated maximum penalties from a £1,000 fine to a £5,000 fine, or a three month jail sentence, or both. The 2005 act also emphasises that licensed premises should operate on a "no-proof no-sale" basis - where licensees are in any doubt about a person’s age they should refuse the sale. The act also introduced mandatory training for all staff serving alcohol and a qualification for premises managers. Both these measures ensure that staff are fully aware of the law regarding sales to persons under 18.

  The Scottish Government has also put in place regulations to allow the police to carry out test purchasing of alcohol, where police forces send under-18s into licensed premises to attempt to purchase alcohol. A failure of a test purchase can lead to prosecution and action by the licensing board to suspend or revoke a licence.

  Local authorities have the power to make byelaws to prohibit drinking in designated public places under provisions contained in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, subject to confirmation by the Scottish ministers. To date, 31 local authorities across Scotland have byelaws in place, covering over 480 towns and villages, and the built up areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Alcohol Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was spent on alcohol support services in the Lothians during (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05, (d) 2005-06 (e) 2006-07 and (f) 2007-08.

Shona Robison: Funding made available to NHS Lothian by the Scottish Government for alcohol treatment and support services is set out below. No specific alcohol funding was made available prior to 2004-05. Funding for 2007-08 has been made available for brief interventions and treatment and support services.

  

2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08


£336,000
£1,107,000
£1,107,000
£3,401,218

Class Sizes

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional teachers are required to meet its P1 to P3 class-size reduction commitments, broken down by local authority.

Adam Ingram: We have signed an historic concordat with local government under which year on year progress will be made in reducing primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18. The rate and scale of progress will vary between local authorities and it is for individual local authorities to ensure that they employ sufficient numbers of teachers to achieve the commitment depending on their local circumstances.

Class Sizes

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional expenditure will be required to meet the staffing costs of implementing its P1 to P3 class-size reduction policy, broken down by local authority.

Adam Ingram: We have signed an historic concordat with local government under which year on year progress will be made in reducing primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18. The rate and scale of progress will vary between local authorities and it is for individual local authorities to ensure that they employ sufficient numbers of teachers to achieve the commitment depending on their local circumstances. Consequently, individual local authority costs are not available.

Class Sizes

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of reducing the size of the primary 1 to primary 3 classes with (a) between 18 and 26 pupils and (b) more than 25 pupils in the School Pupils Census 2007 to the target of all classes with 18 or fewer pupils.

Maureen Watt: The number of teachers required to reduce primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18 will vary according to the class formation policies, such as the use of composite classes, adopted by individual local authorities. Consequently, there will also be variations in cost. We have signed a concordat with the Convention of Scottish Local authorities under which local government will make year-on-year progress in reducing primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18.

Concessionary Travel

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will hold discussions with the UK Government with a view to enabling concessionary bus travel passes to be accepted throughout the whole of the United Kingdom.

Stewart Stevenson: No discussions are planned at present.

Cycling

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it is supplying to Cycling Scotland over the spending review period.

Stewart Stevenson: Grant allocations for year one only of the spending review have been agreed with stakeholder organisations and in 2008-09 Cycling Scotland will receive £1,540,000. The further two years’ allocation will be based on the outcomes of this years’ projects.

Cycling

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what national targets are in place for cycling (a) to work, (b) to school and (c) in respect of all journeys.

Stewart Stevenson: In 1996, the UK’s National Cycling Strategy target was to quadruple the average number of cycle journeys made by bicycle per person per year from eight journeys to 32 journeys by 2012. The latest figures from the Scottish National Travel Survey show that this figure currently still stands at eight, although this is a very small sample size and anecdotal evidence points to an overall increase in cycling.

  During the consultation for the National Transport Strategy in 2005, stakeholders said this target was unachievable and should be revised. We have a commitment in the National Transport Strategy to take this forward with Cycling Scotland which we will do this year.

Cycling

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage people to cycle (a) to work, (b) to school and (c) for all other journeys.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is supporting a range of initiatives to encourage people to cycle to work, school and for other journeys. In the past two years, £32 million per year has been available for active travel projects including extending the National Cycle Network and providing safer routes to schools. Local authorities continue to receive £9 million per year for Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets projects and £1 million now rolled up into the local authority block grant that can be used to support School Travel Coordinators.

  Since 2003, investment of over £17.5 million through Sustrans has been used to maintain and extend the national Cycle Network in Scotland for commuting and leisure purposes. The government provides funding to Cycling Scotland to promote cycling in Scotland through the mass participation ride, Pedal For Scotland, and to develop accreditation schemes for Cycle Friendly Employers and Cycle Friendly Schools. These schemes help employers and schools meet the needs of those who wish to cycle.

  In tackling the school run, investment has created new shared walking and cycling paths and new secure cycle parking, provided various incentives to cycle or walk to school including reflective clothing and cycle training skill kits, almost all schools now have 20mph zones and over 61% of schools are working on a travel plan. In all, over 2,000 schools in Scotland have benefited from this funding.

Defence

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the impact that the removal of Trident from the Clyde will have on jobs and the economy in the surrounding areas.

Bruce Crawford: The Scottish Government asked the Working Group on Scotland Without Nuclear Weapons, as part of its remit:

  In the event of a decision to remove nuclear weapons from HM Naval Base Clyde, to examine the economic impact and to identify options for the development of alternative employment opportunities.

Defence

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the members of the working group examining the removal of Trident from the Clyde.

Bruce Crawford: The list of members of the Working Group on Scotland without Nuclear Weapons is available on the Scottish Government website at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/swnw-working-group/membership.

Defence

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the work programme of the working group examining the removal of Trident from the Clyde.

Bruce Crawford: The work programme of the Working Group on Scotland without Nuclear Weapons will be published on the Scottish Government website once finalised, and within three months of the first meeting.

Defence

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish on its website the minutes of meetings and any supporting papers considered by the working group examining the removal of Trident from the Clyde.

Bruce Crawford: Minutes of the working group will be published on the Scottish Government website within three months of each meeting. It is intended that Scottish Government papers from the meetings will also be published.

Defence

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the working group examining the removal of Trident from the Clyde is considering the loss of all jobs at Faslane and Coulport or a proportion of such jobs and the justification for doing so.

Bruce Crawford: The Working Group on Scotland Without Nuclear Weapons has been asked:

  In the event of a decision to remove nuclear weapons from HM Naval Base Clyde, to examine the economic impact and to identify options for the development of alternative employment opportunities.

  It will be for the working group to establish how consider the opportunities this offers, while remaining within the designated remit.

Defence

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the costs, including staff time, involved in the working group examining the removal of Trident from the Clyde.

Bruce Crawford: To date, Scottish Government expenditure on the Working Group on Scotland without Nuclear Weapons has totalled £41.60.

  Calculating the costs associated with officials making arrangements for the working group on Scotland is not possible, as relevant staff have undertaken such work alongside a range of other duties and the time spent on any given day on such work would have varied considerably.

Defence

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the working group examining the removal of Trident from the Clyde will report.

Bruce Crawford: As set out in its remit, the working group will report regularly to ministers. It will do so via the Minister for Parliamentary Business, who chairs the group.

Dentistry

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental students who received a dental bursary in their final year of study in 2006-07 are now in vocational training in Scotland, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: One hundred and one dental students at the Universities of Glasgow and Dundee who received a dental bursary in their final year of study in 2006-07 are now in vocational training in Scotland. A breakdown, by NHS board, is provided in the following table.

  

NHS Board
Number of Vocational Trainees


Tayside
14


Forth Valley
 4


Grampian
 5


Fife
 5


Lothian
14


Lanarkshire
20


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
24


Ayrshire and Arran
 8


Highland
 4


Dumfries
 1


Orkney
 1


Borders
 1


Total
101

Drug Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-32523 by Cathy Jamieson on 26 March 2007, how many individuals were charged with possession of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) crack cocaine, (d) ecstasy and (e) cannabis in the Lothian and Borders police board area in 2006-07, showing the percentage change from 2005-06 figures.

Kenny MacAskill: As explained in the answer to the earlier question referred to above, the statistics held centrally on recorded crimes do not show the number of charges, nor is it possible to break down the drug offences by the type of drug involved. The available information is shown in the following table.

  Number of Crimes Recorded of Possession and, Possession with Intent to Supply, Lothian and Borders Police Force area, 2005-06 and 2006-07

  

 
2005-06
2006-07
% Change from
2005-06 to 2006-07


Number of crimes of possession of drugs
4,204
3,985
-5.2


Number of crimes of possession of drugs with intent to supply
1,884
2,532
34.4


Total crimes of possession of drugs and possession of drugs with intent to supply
6,088
6,517
7.0

Energy

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish a forum to bring together trade unions, operators of coal-fired generators, coal producers and suppliers, and other relevant parties in the coal industry to find solutions and secure the long-term future of Scottish coal production.

Jim Mather: We are committed to the long-term future of Scottish coal production to support a balanced energy mix. I recently met with Scottish Resources Group and have made a commitment to them to convene a seminar of relevant industry stakeholders to discuss the coal sector.

  The Scottish Government, along with industry representatives, also participates in the UK Government Coal Forum. Part of the remit of the UK Coal Forum is to ensure the long-term production of UK coal.

Energy

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to optimise the use of Scotland’s economical coal reserves.

Jim Mather: Scottish opencast coal output remains healthy – in the range of five to eight million tonnes per annum over the last 10 years. In 2006 there was almost 30 million tonnes of consented reserves at Scottish opencast sites.

  Our policy for a balanced energy mix using a range of sources including coal, especially when combined with new and emerging technologies will ensure that opportunities to use Scotland’s coal resources continue to be maximised in future.

Epilepsy

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the Welsh Assembly Government’s national service development strategy for epilepsy, it has any plans to develop a national strategy for epilepsy and learning disability.

Shona Robison: While there are no specific plans to develop a national strategy for epilepsy and learning disability, a number of other actions have been taken.

  SIGN Guideline 70 on the Diagnosis and Management of Epilepsy in Adults and SIGN Guideline 81 on the management of epilepsies in children and young people each has a section dealing with the management of those with learning disabilities and epilepsy, and we expect NHS boards to implement the recommendations in these guidelines through local protocols.

  NHS Quality Improvement Scotland is developing clinical standards for neurological conditions, including clinical standards specific to epilepsy. These standards, once finalised, will be mandatory across NHSScotland.

  The national review of learning disability services, The Same as You?, emphasises the importance of addressing the range of health care needs of people with learning disabilities who also have specific medical problems, of which epilepsy is one. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland assesses NHS boards’ performance against Learning Disability Quality Indicators, which include specific health needs such as epilepsy.

Equalities

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken since May 2007 to improve the position of women in public life.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government is committed to improving all aspects of women’s (and men’s) lives in Scotland. Our gender equality scheme annual report (March 2008) provides a comprehensive update on action taken over the last year on the high-level objectives (and related action points) in our gender equality scheme (March 2007) to promote equality of opportunity between women and men. Chapter 8 of the annual report is about mainstreaming equality to ensure that public policies, practices and services understand and respond to the different needs of women and men.

  The annual report is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45322). The scheme is also available (Bib. number 42934).

  With regard to improving women’s representation on public bodies, the Scottish Government is working closely with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (OCPAS) to ensure, amongst other things, that all possible steps are taken to address gender imbalance. This work will be taken forward through the "Diversity Delivers" strategy, currently being produced by OCPAS.

Fire Service

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average response times were for emergency fire brigade call-outs in each year since 1997, also broken down by fire brigade.

Fergus Ewing: Information on the average response times for emergency call-outs is not held centrally. With the passing by Parliament of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the creation of a fire and rescue framework for Scotland, a new locally determined risk-assessed methodology for deploying fire authority resources was introduced; integrated risk management plans (IRMP).

  Prior to the introduction of IRMP there were recommended standards of fire cover which originated from 1936 and were based on the characteristics of property and buildings in each area. The greater the density of buildings in an area, the greater the fire fighting resources that were provided. The effect of this was that, primarily, and for much of the time, fire service resources were targeted at protecting buildings (often unoccupied) rather than people. The previous recommended standards were also inflexible and didn’t allow for local discretion by fire and rescue boards to take account of local circumstances.

  Until reporting year 2004-05, information on attendance times formed a performance monitoring measure recorded by Audit Scotland and is published on the Performance Information section of the Audit Scotland website, at the following web address:

  http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/performance/fire/.

Flood Prevention

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a flood guide booklet will incorporate a pull-out guide giving practical advice and help following a flood emergency to ensure that various types of financial and personal support are publicised.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has no plans to publish a flood guide booklet. Responders, as designated under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, are required to provide advice to the general public. A number of local authorities have produced flood-specific information relevant to their local area that signpost information on financial and personal support available. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency will also publish flood-specific information for the public.

Higher Education

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students from the People’s Republic of China there are in each university in Scotland.

Fiona Hyslop: The following table shows the number of students from the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macao) attending each of Scotland’s higher education institutions.

  Number of Students from China (Including Hong Kong and Macao)

  

 
Total
Study Wholly Outside UK
At Least Some Study in the UK


Total
9,335
3,845
5,495


 Heriot-Watt University
2,475
1,895
580


 Napier University
1,960
1,550
410


 The University of Edinburgh
830
5
830


 The University of Strathclyde
800
340
455


 The University of Glasgow
720
0
720


 The University of St Andrews
495
0
495


 The University of Stirling
490
0
490


 The University of Paisley
385
0
385


 The University of Aberdeen
325
0
325


 The University of Dundee
260
0
260


 The Robert Gordon University
225
50
175


 University of Abertay Dundee
135
0
135


 Glasgow Caledonian University
100
0
100


 Edinburgh College of Art
45
0
45


 Glasgow School of Art
45
0
45


 Edinburgh Queen Margaret University
35
0
35


 The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
5
0
5


 Scottish Agricultural College
5
0
5


 UHI Millennium Institute
0
0
0



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers gave approval to the terms of the voluntary severance arrangements recently offered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to its staff.

Jim Mather: Ministerial approval is not part of the process for managing voluntary severance agreements. Under the terms of the management statement governing the relationship between the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, any proposal by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to pay any redundancy or compensation for loss of office, requires the approval of Scottish Government officials.

  Once official approval has been granted, the implementation of the proposal as a selective voluntary severance scheme becomes an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Hospices

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how hospices are funded in Scotland.

Shona Robison: Hospices in Scotland are independent organisations operating on a charitable basis. As such they receive funding from a range of sources including donations. With regard to adult hospices, the NHS in Scotland provides funding for up to 50% of agreed operating costs in accordance with guidance contained in HDL (2003) 18:

  http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/HDL2003_18.pdf.

  The Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) receive 12.5% of annual running costs from the NHS in Scotland and also receives grant funding through the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund.

Hospices

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how hospices fund the provision of medicines for people in receipt of end-of-life care.

Shona Robison: Guidance for the provision of medicines for people in receipt of end of life care is included in HDL (2003) 18 http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/HDL2003_18.pdf which describes the costs which will be met by NHS boards.

Hospices

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how NHS boards and hospices integrate to provide end-of-life care.

Shona Robison: NHS boards are responsible for the planning and provision of NHS services and work closely with a range of organisations, including hospices. Palliative care and end of life services are delivered through managed clinical networks and palliative care networks which seek to ensure integration of specialist and general care.

  Good quality, accessible palliative and end-of-life care is fundamental to those living with and dying from any advanced, progressive or incurable disease, and for their carers. An action plan will be published this year which will ensure a consistent approach in the provision of these services across all NHS boards, reflecting best practice. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care have produced standards regarding care in the NHS and the independent sector. Monitoring of individual care plans takes place within the context of these standards, and other guidance produced by professional bodies and is a matter for NHS boards and those organisations providing palliative and end of life care.

Hospices

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding provision each NHS board makes for hospices.

Shona Robison: The planning and provision of NHS services is a matter for NHS boards in accordance with the guidance contained in HDL (2003) 18:

  http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/HDL2003_18.pdf.

  Information on funding levels is available directly from NHS boards.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether further resources will be made available to NHS Tayside for administration of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination scheme in 2008-09 to take account of the community health nurse pilot currently operating there.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has provided additional funding of £119,746 to NHS Board Tayside to assist with implementation of the HPV programme from 1 September 2008. This additional funding was made in recognition of the complexity of the delivery challenge facing NHS boards and the high-priority of this programme.

  The Scottish Government has provided additional funding to NHS Tayside separately for the development of the Community Health Nurse pilot, which was announced under the previous administration.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11585 by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 April 2008, to what year or years the figures quoted in the table for Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland refer.

Nicola Sturgeon: The figures for Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland relate to the most recent year of published results, January to December 2006 and are taken from the latest report of the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Scheme (EARSS) which can be found at:

  http://www.rivm.nl/earss/Images/EARSS%202006%20Def_tcm61-44176.pdf.

Housing

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have made a commitment to build houses for rent and how many houses in total they have committed to build since May 2007.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have committed to build social rented houses since May 2007, broken down by the numbers to which they have committed.

Stewart Maxwell: During the last Parliament, 2003 to 2007, local authorities completed a total of six houses in Scotland.

  Guidance is currently being prepared for local authorities on developing their Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs). This reflects the proposals for significant changes in housing policy which the government outlined in Firm Foundations and specifically encourages local authorities to think about any role they themselves might play in building houses. Local authorities will be required to include information on any planned new build over the next five years in the Strategic Housing Investment Plans scheduled for submission in November 2008. This will ensure that the Scottish Government has access to reliable information on local authorities’ new build plans, on a common basis across Scotland.

  The latest information on the number of houses started by local authorities, covering the period up to quarter 3 2007, is available on the housing statistics section of the Scottish Government website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuildLA.

Housing

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in view of the concerns of home owners in Glasgow Housing Association’s (GHA) controlled properties about overcharging for repairs and rehabilitation projects, it will refer the matter to the Controller of Audit for examination.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Housing Regulator, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  When we inspected GHA in 2007, we looked at procurement of its investment programme. GHA entered a partnering agreement with a range of contractors in 2005 to deliver this programme, and we found that procurement of these contracts followed established good practice in the registered social landlord (RSL) sector.

  The inspection did identify other weaknesses in GHA’s approach to procurement. We also found that GHA has been slow to understand the issues facing homeowners, and has not communicated well with them. We have now agreed an improvement plan with GHA, which sets out how it will address all of the weaknesses identified in the inspection report. We will monitor GHA’s progress with this.

  We therefore have no grounds to refer matters to the Controller of Audit for examination.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has undertaken to underpin the proposal in Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland that a procurement model based on large-scale competition will lead to savings.

Stewart Maxwell: The research undertaken to underpin the proposed introduction of a more strategic and competitive approach to allocating funds for social housing in Firm Foundations consisted of: examination of the Communities Scotland’s data on housing association grant (the results of which were included in Firm Foundations ); review of the earlier competition pilots run by Scottish Homes; examination of the housing corporation’s approach to grant allocation and competition, and discussions with stakeholders.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the procurement model proposed in Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland will affect the ability and capacity of alternative providers to take part in future bidding rounds.

Stewart Maxwell: In Firm Foundations the Scottish Government made it clear that it expects registered social landlords to continue to build the majority of social housing and to be the initial lead developers in a new approach to allocating funding. Over time, it might be appropriate for other bodies to take on the lead development role. The government continues to evaluate carefully the responses received to its proposals in Firm Foundations . The results of this evaluation will influence development of detailed proposals for a more strategic and competitive approach to allocating funding on which the government will consult later this year.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assumptions it has made in respect of (a) the extent of rises in grant levels in housing association capital spend and (b) the causes of these rises, as referred to in Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland .

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government believes that recent increases in housing association grant (HAG) are unsustainable. As a consequence, it has put forward proposals for HAG which reflect the income that housing associations expect to receive from rents and which reflect the financial position of housing associations in general.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what housing market area or areas would be used in the Glasgow area for the purposes of the development activity procurement proposed in Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland .

Stewart Maxwell: It is possible that the geographies to be adopted for the purposes of a more strategic and competitive approach to procurement of social housing, as indicated within Firm Foundations , will be informed by housing market areas. However, no decisions have yet been taken in respect of the size and location of procurement areas. The new approach is still under development and more detailed proposals from the Scottish Government will be subject to consultation later this year.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether guaranteed or recommended rent levels will be among the criteria used under the procurement competition proposals set out in Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland .

Stewart Maxwell: No decision has yet been made about the criteria to be used. The Scottish Government will consult on detailed proposals for a more strategic and competitive approach to allocating funding for social housing later this year.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains committed to the support and expansion of the Scottish model of community-based housing associations.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what opportunities there will be for community-based housing associations to take part in procurement tendering and development strategy in terms of the proposals set out in Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland .

Stewart Maxwell: Our aim is for a viable, thriving and varied social housing sector which includes community based housing associations. In Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland , the Scottish Government made clear its commitment to the future of social housing. It expects registered social landlords to continue to build the majority of social housing and to be the initial lead developer in a new approach to allocating funding.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it aims to move towards an optimum size for housing associations.

Stewart Maxwell: There are no plans to move towards an optimum size for housing associations. The key is an organisation’s ability to meet need and deliver services effectively and efficiently, not its shape or size.

Housing

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many householders applied to join the Mortgage to Rent scheme in 2007-08.

Stewart Maxwell: Three hundred and eighty-five households applied to join the Mortgage to Rent scheme in 2007-08.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve allowances paid to jurors so that they do not lose out financially for performing their civic duty by serving on a jury.

Kenny MacAskill: I will shortly publish a consultation paper on a range of juror issues, including juror recompense.

Justice

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an estimate of the number of residential properties held under long leasehold tenure.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information. However, in Report on Conversion of Long Leases published in December 2006, the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) estimated that 2% of properties were held on leasehold tenure.

  For more detail the report can be found on the SLC website at:

  http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/downloads/rep204.pdf.

Justice

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to reform the law relating to long leasehold tenure.

Fergus Ewing: We are considering the Scottish Law Commission’s Report on Conversion of Long Leases (Scot Law Com 204) and will take a view in due course about the timing of any bill.

Local Income Tax

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, prior to launching its consultation on local income tax, what legal advice it received on the competence of its proposals under the Scotland Act 1998 in respect of a nationally set and nationally collected local income tax.

John Swinney: It is the practice of successive governments, reflected in the Scottish Ministerial Code and the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, that the fact and content of legal advice is not revealed.

Local Income Tax

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any legal advice that it received prior to, during or after launching its consultation on local income tax on the competence of its proposals under the Scotland Act 1998 in respect of a nationally set and nationally collected local income tax.

John Swinney: It is the practice of successive governments, reflected in the Scottish Ministerial Code and the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, that the fact and content of legal advice is not revealed.

Mental Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, given that mental health remains a national priority, what waiting times it will guarantee from (a) referral to initial assessment and (b) assessment to treatment for all mental health patients.

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, given that mental health remains a national priority, when it will publish its interim targets en route to an 18-week guaranteed overall waiting time by 2011.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that patients have rapid access to the full range of services they need from the NHS. Specific targets are in place for first out-patient appointments following referral by a general medical or dental practitioner, for acute hospital admissions following a decision to place a patient on the waiting list, and for treatment for specific conditions, including heart disease and cancer. But the government is also committed to improving access and reducing waiting times for a broader range of services, and is supporting the NHS in Scotland to drive down waiting times for services not presently covered by waiting times targets.

  We have published four targets for all NHS boards and 14 commitments for change and improvement in mental health services, incorporating reductions in re-admissions, anti-depressant prescribing and the rate of suicides, while also addressing increases in suicide assessment training and earlier diagnosis and support for those with dementia. The underlying commitments address specific measurable improvements across the range of mental health services, ages and needs.

NHS Hospitals

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to following the example of the Welsh Assembly Government in abolishing hospital car parking charges for staff and visitors.

Nicola Sturgeon: Currently, car parking is free at most NHSScotland hospitals and charges have only been introduced as a method of last resort as part of a planned approach to ensuring that adequate access is available to those health care sites which are congested and where the demand for parking far exceeds the supply of car spaces available.

  For those boards where car parking charges are currently in place, we shall be reviewing their current car parking schemes against the principles and criteria set out in the revised guidance issued to boards in January this year. We have asked for reports from these boards by 30 June 2008 and once these reports have been considered, we shall issue a full policy statement on the provision of car parking at NHSScotland facilities. In the meantime, I have applied a £3 per day cap on charges.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are currently in place to moderate comments on the National Conversation website.

Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Government officials pre-moderate comments on the National Conversation website in line with the moderating criteria referred to in the answer to question S3W-11333 on 23 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what equal opportunities policies are applied to the administration and moderation of the National Conversation website.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were taken into consideration when developing measures to monitor comments left on the Ministers’ Blog section of the National Conversation website.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it would consider before removing comments left on the Ministers’ Blog section of the National Conversation website.

Nicola Sturgeon: The criteria applied to moderating the National Conversation website are:

  1. All submitted comments are to be pre-moderated before publication.

  2. All published comments are liable to be removed from the site at any point after internal reconsideration or on receipt of a reasonable complaint.

  3. No registration is required for submitting comments but contributors are asked to provide a name, location and e-mail address. Name and location are optional and will be displayed. E-mail addresses will not be displayed but failure to provide an e-mail address may result in rejection.

  4. Anything considered abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory will be rejected.

  5. Comments considered inappropriate in terms of language (e.g. language that would not be permitted within the parliamentary context), and irrelevant in terms of subject matter, will be rejected.

  6. Comments containing obscenities and bad language (whether words are modified by asterisks or not) will be rejected.

  7. Any comment including an active hyperlink will be rejected.

  8. The terms and conditions on privacy and usage which apply to the main site www.scotland.gov.uk also apply to the National Conversation site.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines racism within the context of the National Conversation.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government defines racism within the context of the National Conversation in the same way as it is defined for all its activities – that racism can be indirect, direct or institutional. Racism is unacceptable in any context no matter who it is perpetrated by or against.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many unique visitors the National Conversation website has had.

Nicola Sturgeon: The number of unique visitors to the National Conversation website up to 14 April has been 59,554. There have been 353,061 hits on National Conversation themed web pages; the white paper has been viewed 28,340 times online, and 3,559 comments have been posted in response to ministerial blogs.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many unique visitors the National Conversation website has had from overseas IP addresses.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7812 on 10 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider increasing the level of resources allocated to the moderation of the National Conversation website.

Nicola Sturgeon: There is no current proposal to increase the level of resources allocated to the moderation of the National Conversation website.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it appropriate for a government website to promote flag burning.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government website does not promote the activity described.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many comments have been removed from the National Conversation website after initially being published and what the reasons were for their removal.

Nicola Sturgeon: Comments on the National Conversation website are pre-moderated, and are subject to on-going review. Since the launch of the website in August 2007, 41 comments have been removed after publication as part of this process, following reconsideration against the criteria used to moderate the site.

National Conversation

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider moderating comments before they are published on the Ministers’ Blog section of the National Conversation website.

Nicola Sturgeon: Comments submitted to the Ministers’ Blog section of the National Conversation website have been pre-moderated since the launch of the website in August 2007.

National Conversation

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is given to comments left on the Ministers’ Blog section of the National Conversation website.

Nicola Sturgeon: Comments posted on the Ministers’ Blog section are moderated using the criteria developed for the National Conversation website. Comments posted also help to inform the development of the conversation more generally.

National Conversation

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is of the upkeep and moderation of the Ministers’ Blog section of the National Conversation website.

Nicola Sturgeon: No additional resources have been allocated to the National Conversation. The maintenance of the website is included as part of the overall responsibilities of the web team within the communications directorate.

Non-Domestic Rates

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue has been collected through business rates in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

John Swinney: The information requested is set out in the following table:

  

 
2005-06 £
2006-07 £
2007-08 £


Aberdeen City
127,291,272
122,604,982
128,281,815


Aberdeenshire
51,198,649
53,093,744
53,407,839


Angus
22,233,522
22,788,427
22,106,662


Argyll and Bute
26,967,799
26,627,574
24,741,152


Clackmannanshire
11,608,903
11,765,628
11,877,641


Dumfries and Galloway
34,560,389
34,187,475
35,235,601


Dundee City
58,846,940
57,802,261
56,495,973


East Ayrshire
26,249,971
25,055,970
25,108,900


East Dunbartonshire
19,016,800
19,053,393
18,903,905


East Lothian
14,612,022
16,113,738
16,501,932


East Renfrewshire
11,485,371
11,658,305
11,912,674


Edinburgh, City of
279,396,486
280,708,369
285,735,933


Eilean Siar
5,510,520
5,305,408
5,451,737


Falkirk
56,466,473
55,641,107
49,238,500


Fife
117,830,098
117,327,909
110,305,773


Glasgow City
282,733,441
287,465,074
279,351,230


Highland
75,585,529
86,018,529
81,129,265


Inverclyde
19,430,495
18,555,568
19,152,086


Midlothian
19,253,630
19,734,603
20,215,144


Moray
23,578,141
17,874,681
23,551,095


North Ayrshire
32,547,321
30,365,478
31,864,985


North Lanarkshire
94,321,138
91,786,391
93,651,339


Orkney
6,880,760
7,156,821
7,014,668


Perth and Kinross
43,153,561
45,441,409
43,938,707


Renfrewshire
68,706,967
67,907,469
70,112,000


Scottish Borders
20,979,720
22,194,298
23,374,923


Shetland
12,498,598
12,129,176
12,333,096


South Ayrshire
34,013,912
35,228,816
35,016,062


South Lanarkshire
182,790,018
176,929,367
171,168,420


Stirling
34,855,168
35,559,764
34,759,764


West Dunbartonshire
58,839,361
56,614,123
58,282,473


West Lothian
59,987,456
62,321,312
58,720,357


Scotland
1,933,430,431
1,933,017,169
1,918,941,651



  The 2005-07 figures are from local authorities’ own audited returns. The 2007-08 figures represent local authorities’ own mid-year estimates.

Non-Domestic Rates

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual distribution of income from business rates has been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

John Swinney: The information requested is set out in the following table:

  

 
2005-06 £
2006-07 £
2007-08 £


Aberdeen City
77,497,000
75,467,000
73,870,000


Aberdeenshire
86,024,000
86,373,000
85,941,000


Angus
40,332,000
40,269,000
39,850,000


Argyll and Bute
34,247,000
33,826,000
33,170,000


Clackmannanshire
17,885,000
17,894,000
17,751,000


Dumfries and Galloway
55,220,000
54,873,000
54,148,000


Dundee City
53,674,000
52,625,000
51,896,000


East Ayrshire
44,837,000
44,409,000
43,584,000


East Dunbartonshire
40,125,000
39,523,000
38,678,000


East Lothian
34,169,000
33,971,000
33,509,000


East Renfrewshire
33,640,000
33,240,000
32,706,000


Edinburgh, City of
168,187,000
168,283,000
167,119,000


Eilean Siar
9,790,000
9,741,000
9,626,000


Falkirk
54,736,000
54,698,000
54,443,000


Fife
132,053,000
131,534,000
130,219,000


Glasgow City
216,471,000
214,280,000
211,273,000


Highland
78,428,000
78,394,000
77,966,000


Inverclyde
31,153,000
30,576,000
29,979,000


Midlothian
29,900,000
29,530,000
28,906,000


Moray
32,807,000
32,539,000
32,166,000


North Ayrshire
51,026,000
50,455,000
49,581,000


North Lanarkshire
120,717,000
119,735,000
118,056,000


Orkney
7,243,000
7,233,000
7,151,000


Perth and Kinross
51,011,000
51,011,000
50,519,000


Renfrewshire
64,136,000
63,286,000
62,054,000


Scottish Borders
40,617,000
40,532,000
40,054,000


Shetland
8,204,000
8,138,000
8,031,000


South Ayrshire
41,855,000
41,489,000
40,802,000


South Lanarkshire
113,662,000
113,288,000
111,800,000


Stirling
32,398,000
32,038,000
31,732,000


West Dunbartonshire
34,630,000
34,115,000
33,363,000


West Lothian
60,400,000
60,404,000
59,784,000


Scotland
1,897,074,000
1,883,769,000
1,859,727,000



  The distributable NDRI figures are taken directly from the relevant local government finance circulars.

People with Learning Disabilities

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether people with learning disabilities are able to opt out of the local authority tendering process for community care services and request a direct payment to purchase their own services instead.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what rights people with learning disabilities have to opt out of the local authority tendering process for community care services and request a direct payment to purchase their own services instead.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is available to people with learning disabilities to help them to opt out of the local authority tendering process for community care services and seek a direct payment to purchase their own services instead.

Shona Robison: Since June 2003, every Scottish local authority has had a duty to offer people with learning disabilities and other disabled and elderly people who meet local authority eligibility criteria for community care, the opportunity to receive self-directed support (direct payments). They can receive the practical help that they need to enable them to manage the care package day-to-day. The flexibility achieved is such that those with complex needs can also have self-directed support using the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 to safeguard their interests. The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability has produced "An easy guide to direct payments" (2005) for people with learning disabilities which is available at  http://www.scld.org.uk/library-publications/scld-publications.xhtml .

Planning

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which planning applications for new developments designated as being at a high risk of flooding have been declined by its reporter in each of the last five years.

Stewart Stevenson: The Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals does not hold information in this form. All decision notices issued by reporters are available on the Scottish Government’s web site.

Planning

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which planning applications for new developments designated as being at a high risk of flooding have been approved by its reporter in each of the last five years.

Stewart Stevenson: This information is not held by the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals. All decision notices issued by reporters are available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Planning

Keith Brown (Ochil) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that an application for local authority planning permission on a building or site of potential historical interest constitutes a valid reason to defer the process of its historical listing.

Stewart Stevenson: Current policy for statutory listing states that it will not normally be advanced in the face of a live planning application or appeal. This provides a reasonable application of the legislation within the current planning framework, particularly as unlike England the listed building legislation in Scotland has no provision for certificates of immunity, which can provide developers and owners with certainty that their building will not be listed for a five year period.

Planning

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications have been publicly supported by ministers since June 2007, what those planning applications consisted of and the support provided, and whether it has any information on any of the applicants having made a political donation to the SNP in the preceding 36 months.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications currently under consideration by ministers or determined by ministers since June 2007 involve developers who it is aware have made a political donation to the SNP in the preceding 36 months.

Stewart Stevenson: This information is not held.

Planning

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers consider it their role to expedite planning applications under active consideration by planning authorities and independent statutory consultees to the planning process and, if so, what criteria they use to assess which applications to assist.

Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Government ministers at all times discharge their planning functions fairly and responsibly, having regard to all relevant planning legislation and the Scottish Ministerial Code.

  Paragraphs 6.7 – 6.12 of the code are particularly relevant to the handling of a planning application. The code is available on the Scottish Government website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/08/17996/25267.

Police

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many random drug tests were carried out by police officers in Grampian and Tayside from 2002 to 2007 as a result of existing policy and, of those, how many showed a positive result.

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally. Operational matters are the responsibility of the relevant chief constable.

Rail Network

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet representatives of Network Rail to discuss its timetable of engineering works, in light of plans revealed for works to take place on Scottish routes over the Easter holiday weekend.

Stewart Stevenson: I meet regularly with Network Rail to discuss progress on the portfolio of rail projects.

  I am pleased to note that the engineering works carried out in Scotland over the Easter weekend were completed on time.

Rail Network

Bashir Ahmad (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines have been issued to rail companies regarding punctuality of trains.

Stewart Stevenson: The ScotRail Franchise contains benchmarks for service punctuality and delay. Failure to reach these benchmarks means financial penalties and could lead ultimately to loss of the franchise contract.

  The recent extension of the franchise has tightened these benchmarks to reflect recent record levels of punctuality.

Rail Network

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made and what action it has taken, to secure direct access for trains from Edinburgh and Glasgow to the Channel Tunnel.

Stewart Stevenson: No discussions have yet taken place. Lead responsibility for cross border rail services lies with the Secretary of State for Transport. However, we have written to the UK Government requesting a meeting to discuss the issue of cross border rail links and their economic importance in offering access and connections to other parts of the UK and mainland Europe.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date its decision to extend the current franchise agreement with First ScotRail was published on (a) its and (b) Transport Scotland’s website.

Stewart Stevenson: A press release was issued and published on the Transport Scotland website on 3 April 2008. A link to the Transport Scotland website is available through the Scottish Government internet site at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Transport .

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation there was with stakeholders, including organisations representing passengers and rail employees, prior to the announcement of the decision to extend the current franchise agreement with First

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the way in which the decision to extend the current franchise agreement with First ScotRail was arrived at was in line with undertakings given by ministers regarding consultation with stakeholders including organisations representing passengers and rail employees.

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that all its obligations have been met under the general and specific requirements of the disability equality duty to consult representatives of disability organisations over the decision to extend the current rail franchise

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the decision to extend the rail franchise without a consultative process is consistent with the national transport strategy.

Stewart Stevenson: The extension was the activation of a contractual provision which has existed since the franchise was let, following extensive consultation and competition in 2004.

  The extension was granted in furtherance of the key objectives of the National Transport Strategy and Scotland’s Railways, both of which were themselves subject to widespread consultation.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps were taken to renegotiate some of the terms of the rail franchise as part of the negotiations leading to the extension of the franchise and what the substantive changes are.

Stewart Stevenson: The revenue share provisions in the contract have been re-set and a profit cap inserted for the first time. Benchmarks have been tightened and a range of new initiatives have been secured for best value and over £70 million has been captured for re-investment.

  I will arrange for a copy of the amendment agreement which triggered the extension, with any commercially sensitive material properly excised, to be put in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre shortly.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has received regarding the advantages and disadvantages for Glasgow 2014 of extending the rail franchise agreement.

Stewart Stevenson: The franchise extension has secured £1 million of additional services and secured the franchisee’s involvement in the planning and delivery of rail services which will form a crucial component of the transport support for the games.

Regeneration

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it has given to urban regeneration companies (URCs) in each year from 2002-03 to 2008-09, broken down by URC.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government provided the following funding to Pathfinder Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs) over the period 2002-03 to 2007-08. The amounts included for 2008-09 are the Scottish Government’s budgeted contribution to the respective URCs. No funding requests beyond 2007-08 were received from PARC Craigmillar or Raploch.

  

 
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


(Millions)


PARC Craigmillar
0.0
0.0
6.8
0.0
5.0
9.4
0.0


Raploch
0.0
0.0
2.0
2.5
4.0
6.8
0.0


Clydebank Rebuilt
0.0
0.0
0.0
7.1
2.8
3.9
5.0


Riverside Inverclyde
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
1.0
3.0
5.0*


Irvine Bay
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.3
1.2
1.6
2.0


Clyde Gateway
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
3.0
5.0
14.0*



  Note: *The amounts quoted are part of a three-year funding award and may be subject to change.

Road Safety

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many 20mph speed limit zones are in place outside Scottish schools.

Stewart Stevenson: Information provided by local authorities indicates that, as at 30 June 2007, 20mph speed limits were in place outside 2,132 schools in Scotland, which represents around 80% of schools.

  A current exercise is seeking to establish the position as at 31 March 2008.

Road Safety

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many home zones there are.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government has received one Home Zones Designation Order from The Inverclyde Council.

Road Safety

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it is supplying over the spending review period for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents road safety activities in Scotland.

Stewart Stevenson: The level of grant is dependent on an annual work programme submitted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and agreed with the Government. On this basis, the grant offered for 2008-09 is £110,491.

Roads

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the specific schemes recommended in the A82 Tarbet to Fort William Route Action Plan should be considered as the first phase of a strategic programme of works to steadily improve the A82 towards a standard appropriate for the 21st century.

Stewart Stevenson: The A82 is being considered as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review as it forms an element of the national strategic transport link between Glasgow and Oban/Fort William. The specific schemes recommended within the Route Action Plan are being considered as part of this review.

Roads

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list its 10 top priority road improvement initiatives and what action is being taken to implement them.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government does not operate a top-ten priority list of motorway and trunk road schemes.

  The Scottish Government’s Motorway and Trunk Road Programme is contained in:

  www.transportscotland.gov.uk/projects.

Roads

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the timescale for the public local inquiry into the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the public local inquiry into the route of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route will begin.

Stewart Stevenson: A pre-inquiry meeting will be held which will set the timescale for the public local inquiry. It has been announced that the pre-inquiry meeting will be held on 13 May 2008.

Roads

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what responsibilities it has in respect of the provision of adequate facilities at motorway service stations.

Stewart Stevenson: Ministers’ responsibilities for the provision of adequate facilities at motorway service areas are limited to the installation, at developers’ expense, of "Services" signs giving advance warning of service areas, subject to the minimum requirements to qualify as a service area being maintained.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on development in an area designated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as being at a high risk of flooding.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency flood map shows an estimate of the areas of Scotland with a 0.5% (1:200) or greater probability of being flooded in any given year. Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 7 – Planning and Flooding characterises areas within this range as having a medium to high risk of flooding. The Scottish Government’s planning policy on development in these areas is set out in the SPP, the central purpose of which is to prevent further development which would have a significant probability of being affected by flooding or which would increase the probability of flooding elsewhere.

Speed Limits

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is encouraging more 20mph zones in residential areas.

Stewart Stevenson: Between 2003 and 2008 the Scottish Government made available to local authorities resources totalling £49.9 million for the introduction of 20mph schemes around schools, many of which are in residential areas, and related safety projects.

  The Scottish Government has facilitated the introduction of 20mph speed limits in residential areas by making it possible to implement different types of 20mph speed limit to meet different situations. Guidance on the implementation of 20mph schemes has been issued to local authorities. It is ultimately for local authorities to implement such schemes on local roads.

Sport

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on development of an indoor football centre at Westfield Stadium in Falkirk, as part of the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy.

Stewart Maxwell: We are aware that Falkirk Council held a meeting on 8 April and recommended that members agree not to proceed with the indoor football centre at Westfield Stadium in Falkirk. area.

  The Scottish Government and sportscotland have had no formal notification of Falkirk Council’s decision.

Sport

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has held discussions with Falkirk Council with regard to an indoor football centre at Westfield and, if so, what the outcomes were of these discussions.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with Falkirk Council in regard to the indoor football centre at Westfield Stadium in Falkirk.

Sport

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it continues to support the development of an indoor football centre at Westfield Stadium in Falkirk.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government continues to support the development of an indoor football centre at Westfield Stadium in Falkirk. However, the decision to proceed with the development is a matter for Falkirk Council.

Sport

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Falkirk Council provided any reasons for withdrawing support for an indoor football centre at Westfield Stadium and, if so, what these reasons were.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has had no formal notification of Falkirk Council’s decision to withdrawal from proceeding with the indoor football centre at Westfield Stadium.

Sport

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the creation of an indoor football centre remains an objective of the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy.

Stewart Maxwell: The creation of an indoor football centre remains a priority under the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy.

Teachers

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of entrants to the teaching profession in each of the last three years were mature entrants, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Maureen Watt: There is no standard definition of a mature entrant to the teaching profession. The following table shows the percentage distribution by age and gender of teachers on the probationer induction scheme over the past three years.

  

Percentage
2005 (total = 2,447)
2006 (total = 3,223)
2007 (total = 3,717)


Age
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male


up to 25
45
11
44
10
48
11


26
4
1
5
2
4
1


27
3
1
4
1
2
1


28
3
1
3
1
2
1


29
2
1
3
1
2
1


30
2
-
1
1
2
1


over 30
18
7
17
8
18
7

Transport

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days the Erskine Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles in each year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by month.

Stewart Stevenson: Between 1997 and 2007 there was no facility on either side of the Erskine Bridge to filter out high-sided vehicles. When the bridge was closed, it was closed to all traffic. In November 2007 signs were installed which enable closures to be restricted to high-sided vehicles. Between November and the end of 2007, the bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles on one occasion.

Transport

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days the Erskine Bridge was closed to all vehicles in each year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by month.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7136, on 11 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  Accurate figures on closures of the Erskine Bridge are only available from 2001 onwards.

  There were no full closures in 2007 after 9 November.

Transport

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days the Clyde Tunnel was closed to all vehicles in each year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by month.

Stewart Stevenson: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The Clyde Tunnel is owned and operated by Glasgow City Council who advise that it has never been closed completely over the period in question.

Transport

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days one side of the Clyde Tunnel was closed to all vehicles in each year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by month.

Stewart Stevenson: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Records of traffic closures are held on paper by Glasgow City Council but are not collated electronically for statistical purposes.

  However, since 1997 three major structural repair contracts in 1999, 2000 and 2002 have required the closure of one traffic bore during the day for an extended period. In total these aggregate to approximately 200 days. More recently closure of one side from 7pm each night was required to allow the replacement of internal cladding which was achieved with only minor traffic flow disturbance.

  In addition, short closures of one side of the tunnel are required an average of four times per week for breakdowns, over-height vehicles, debris on the road and other operational issues.

Transport

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents involving vehicles were reported on the M8 en route to and from the Erskine Bridge in each year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by month.

Stewart Stevenson: Only accidents which cause a personal injury are recorded by the Police and Transport Scotland. The number of injury accidents between 1997 and 2007 on the M8/M898 slip roads which connect the M8 to and from the Erskine Bridge are listed in the following table. Each entry in the table represents one accident.

  

Year
Month
Accident Severity


1999
June
Slight


2000
July
Slight


2001
September
Slight


2001
October
Slight


2002
May
Slight


2006
August
Slight


2006
November
Slight


2007
May
Slight



  The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between the two dates, e.g. due to late returns or corrections to earlier returns.

Transport

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents involving vehicles were reported on the A82 en route to and from the Erskine Bridge in each year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by month.

Stewart Stevenson: Only accidents which cause a personal injury are recorded by the police and Transport Scotland. The number of injury accidents between 1997 and 2007 on the A898 slip roads which connect the A82 to and from the Erskine Bridge are listed in the following table. Each entry in the table represents one accident.

  

Year
Month
Accident Severity


1997
February
Slight


2000
March
Slight


2000
March
Serious


2000
August
Slight


2001
September
Slight


2001
December
Slight


2002
January
Slight


2002
February
Slight


2005
July
Slight


2005
October
Slight


2006
November
Slight


2006
December
Slight


2006
December
Slight



  The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between the two dates, e.g. due to late returns or corrections to earlier returns.

Transport Scotland

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many SQUIRE (Scottish Quality Inspection Reporting Regime) inspectors are employed by Transport Scotland, what the nature of their work is, and to whom they report.

Stewart Stevenson: The complement for SQUIRE Inspectors (SQUIRE is Service Quality Incentive REgime) is 12 inspectors reporting to a SQUIRE Team Manager. Nine SQUIRE inspectors are currently employed with three vacancies advertised. A SQUIRE inspector’s role is specified in the ScotRail Franchise Agreement. It involves regular visits to each of the 340 First ScotRail stations and First ScotRail trains to audit the facilities and services provided against a set of clearly defined targets as specified in the Franchise Agreement. The purpose of SQUIRE is to drive consistency and improvements in the quality of services provided by First ScotRail.